Pseudotumor Cerebri

Description
Pseudotumor cerebri occurs when the pressure inside the skull ( intracranial pressure) increases without any obvious cause . Symptoms are similar to a brain tumor but no tumor was found . This condition is commonly referred to as idiopathic intracranial hypertension ( Iih ) .

Pseudotumor cerebri more common in children and adults , but the most commonly experienced are obese woman who was prolific childbearing .

Increased intracranial pressure associated with pseudotumor cerebri can also cause swelling of the optic nerve and loss of vision .


Cause
Experts suspect pseudotumor cerebri nothing to do with the excess amount of cerebrospinal fluid within the skull . In addition , the liquid produced by the brain will eventually be absorbed into the bloodstream . It could be an increase in intracranial pressure that causes pseudotumor cerebri is also a result of a disturbance in the absorption process .

According to some recent studies , the majority of patients with pseudotumor cerebri are known to experience a narrowing ( stenosis ) in the amount of two sinuses in the brain ( transverse sinuses ) . But researchers are also not sure whether it is a narrowing of one of the causes of pseudotumor cerebri or not .
 
Symptom
- Moderate to severe headaches that come from the back of the eye and worse with eye movement .
- Ringing in the ears along with the heart rate of the patient.
- Nausea , vomiting or dizziness
- Blurred vision or dimming
- Experiencing blindness for a few seconds , can occur in one or both eyes ( visual obscurations )
- Difficult to see to the side
- Double vision ( diplopia )
- As seen flashes of light when there is no source of light ( photopsia )
- Neck pain , shoulder or back

Treatment
- Drugs such as glaucoma drug that acetazolamide , a diuretic and migraine medication .
- Operating the optic nerve sheath fenestration and installation of spinal fluid shunt .


Sources : MayoClinic